Oil & Natural Gas in the Middle East
Geography: KS3, topic 19.1.4
Oil and Natural Gas
OPEC estimate 65% of the world’s oil reserves are in the Middle East.
Regional distribution of oil reserves
- The distribution of oil reserves in the Middle East varies across the region:
- Saudi Arabia – 36.6 billion tonnes producing 569 million tonnes per year.
- Iraq – 19.3 billion tonnes producing 197 million tonnes per year.
- United Arab Emirates – 13 billion tonnes producing 176 million tonnes per year.
Natural Gas
- The Middle East also has one of the highest reserves of Natural Gas in the world, accounting for 32% of the global reserves.
Test yourself on Oil & Natural Gas in the Middle East
What percentage of global natural gas reserves does the Middle East have?